We’ll match best in world says the Ox

IT was a rare moment, when the talk was purely about football, that Gareth Southgate highlighted the steps England must take to conquer Europe.

If Euro 2020 is going to have a glorious conclusion, Southgate believes England’s midfield need to operate at the levels of Paul Pogba, Blaise Matuidi and N’Golo Kante, who drove France to the World Cup in 2018.

France — and Belgium, with Kevin De Bruyne — may set the standard but their reputation isn’t causing England’s squad to lose sleep.

Alex Oxlade- Chamberlain, whose strike started the 7-0 rout of Montenegro, does not believe England will go into the tournament as inferiors. ‘Every player, except Jadon Sancho in Germany, plays in the hardest league in the world and are used to playing against the likes of Pogba or Kante — or playing with them,’ the Liverpool midfielder said.

‘As you get to later rounds of a competition you come up against those names and things get harder. You have to put in your best performances, but the boys deal with it at club level against top, top players — they had it in the World Cup, too.

‘We have the ability to beat anyone on our day. We also have the ability to stop them beating us. I’m not too worried about the names we will come up against.

‘We are going to have to worry about that when they are put in front of us — and only then.’ Oxlade-Chamberlain (left) was selected for England’s September fixtures but missed out completely last month. ‘It is always hard to miss out as I believe I have the ability,’ he said. ‘But I’m feeling confident now. The goal was the icing on the cake. I am getting there.’